by erin Malysa
The first step towards understanding Madlib is acceptance…as in accepting the fact that he is a true musical wizard. His crate collection is not deep, it’s almost infinite with an estimated weight of his record collection clocking in at nearly 8,000 pounds. He dissects a song by finding the hook, stripping it down, sprinkling some funky Madlib dust on top and what hits your ears is solid gold. Maybe his innate musical understanding comes from his family, maybe it’s because his first love was jazz, maybe it’s because he plays several musical instruments so finding a beat is like flipping through a stack of vinyl at his fingertips. Everyone from Jay-Z to Kanye West wants his beats and they greedily stockpile them like a squirrel in winter. Watch this rapper, producer, musician and collaborator perform and keep your ears tuned, because he is the master of pulling musical rabbits from his limitless top hat of sonic tricks.
